Page 44 of Cruel Dreams

“That’s what I’m counting on.”

The two who threw us into the van jump in, and using zip ties, secure our hands behind our backs. The plastic cuts into my skin. Quinn gets in a good kick to Spike’s ribs, but he backhands her, and moaning, she sags to the carpet.

He dumps her body on the ground.

The one assigned to me presses his boot against my lower back and pushes me out. My heels catch in the crushed rock and my ankle turns, but I can’t reach out to steady myself. Ash grabs my arm, keeping me from falling on my face, and he jerks me toward a huge ship.

I’ve watched the cargo ships floating by on the Renegade as I passed time on the Crowne’s rooftop. From so high, they looked like toys, little ships that could bob in the bathtub. Up close,they’re enormous, and this one, like the others I’ve seen on the river, is full of metal shipping boxes.

Ash sighs. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she? She’ll be porting in Thailand, India, Pakistan. Then moving on to Saudi Arabia. She’s carrying half a billion dollars, and you are a part of it. A small part, but what someone will pay for you is only a fraction of the satisfaction I’ll feel knowing Zane can’t have you ever again.”

We stand near the stern of the ship, the river water lapping at the embankment. The shipyard is brightly lit, and other cargo ships wait to either take freight on board or be relieved of it. There isn’t anyone around except Ash and his goons until a sleek car parks near the van and Nathalie and a woman I don’t recognize climb out of the backseat. The woman’s pretty, wearing a sharp blazer and skirt that look out of place in the dirty shipyard in the middle of the night. Silently, she gingerly picks her way across the crushed rock in heels similar to mine. Ash wraps his arm around her and hugs her close, his lips brushing her cheek in what looks to be real affection. I don’t know who she is or why she’s supporting him, and even though I didn’t need it, it’s just more proof that what Ash said he felt for Zarah had been a lie.

“I told you I’d come through. You wouldn’t have gotten this far if it wasn’t for me,” Nathalie says, and preening, she sidles closer to Ash, proud of her duplicity.

Nodding in acknowledgement, he says, “You did better than I thought you would. Nora and I needed you, and you stepped up. I’ll reward you just as I promised.”

He jerks his head at Spike, and the bouncer steps away from Quinn and yanks Nathalie’s arms behind her. The thug guarding me secures a zip tie around her wrists, and her mouth drops open in shock, her gaze shooting between Ash and the woman he called Nora.

She blinks back tears. “You told me if I helped you, you would give me everything I want.”

“You did, and I appreciate it.” He lifts the corner of his mouth in a half smile. “You were instrumental in convincing Zane I fell for his stupid little story. Dinner at Luna Blanc, the engagement party. He thought he had me. The proposal was a nice touch. I hope he insured the ring.”

Ash looks at me, his eyes boring into mine, and pressing his hand to Nathalie’s chest, he pushes her over the embankment.

Her scream and the splash as she hits the water sends tremors through my body, and I sink to the ground, the rock biting into my knees. I throw up, and my stomach heaves as it purges my horror. My muscles and tendons burn against the restraints.

“For goodness’ sake,” Nora says, looking over the side and into the water. “Ash.”

He laughs. “What? You said keep it simple, and I am. The fewer bitches and snitches the better. I brought you on board and I’m listening to your advice. Don’t pretend you give a shit.” He turns to me, steps closer, and drops to his haunches. “You can’t tell me you cared about that whore. You know for the five years you worked for me, she worked for Zane in his bed? Fucking him. Sucking his cock dry. You don’t care she’s dead. Because by now she is.”

“You didn’t have to kill her,” I rasp, my throat so tight I can barely force the words out. Vomit sticks to my skin but I can’t wipe my face.

He pulls a handkerchief out of his pocket and cleans my lips and chin. His motions are gentle, but there’s nothing gentle in his words. “I’m tired of loose ends. You’ve been up my ass for the past two months, and I’m fucking sick of it. Get them on the ship,” he snaps at Spike, standing, smoothing the wrinkles in his pants and pocketing the handkerchief.

The bouncer drags me to my feet, and Spike does the same to Quinn. She bumps into me in a show of support. She can’t hug me, and God, by now we both know if we say anything, Ash will crack.

A narrow and wobbly metal gangway leads up to the ship’s deck, and the bouncer whose name I still don’t know shoves me up the steps. My heel snags, and I stumble, my knee catching my fall, shooting pain up and down my leg.

“Hurry up,” he growls.

I look over the railing, and the ground looms at me. If I were to fall over, I might not die, but the crushed rock wouldn’t ensure a soft landing. My ankle already throbs.

We finally reach the top of the stairs.

The containers create a maze, and we weave around them, the tight aisles pitch black. They’re piled on top of each other, and anyone searching these will need days to look into them all.

Quinn and I are so fucked. There’s no chance anyone will rescue us. I doubt Nathalie would’ve had an attack of conscience, but Zane can’t look for her now and pry any information out of her. He’ll think she didn’t want to be involved anymore and ran away. She never kept it a secret she resented him and the part he forced her to play in our plan. He thought paying her off would be enough in exchange, but she had bigger aspirations. Greed killed her.

She’d been a fool to trust Ash.

We stop near a dull green container sitting near the edge of the deck. A rusty ladder is fastened to the side, and Spike pushes Quinn toward it. She’s doesn’t fight him, her puffy cheek evidence of a lesson learned, and she sets her foot on the bottom rung. It will be difficult to use the ladder without the use of our hands.

Realizing this too, Ash swears. “Fuck. Cut them free. They aren’t going anywhere. If they try, snap their necks and push them over the side.”

The bouncer behind me cuts the zip tie binding my wrists, but he’s rough and careless and slices my skin in the process. I shake out my arms, and my hands tingle as the circulation rushes into my fingers.

A white, rectangular structure full of windows towers in the middle of the ship’s deck, and it emits one lone orange light that glows over us. The tall stacks hide us from shore, and feeling scared and alone and missing Zane so much my heart cracks, I try not to cry. I could call out for help, but no one is around to hear me. It would earn me a slap, or worse, Ash would do what he threatened and shoot me and throw me overboard. So far, the bouncers haven’t pulled out their weapons, but they aren’t shy, their holsters in plain sight.

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